


Departure

by colocakes



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comedy Horror, M/M, Mermaids, Musical
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-09-29 03:20:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17195543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colocakes/pseuds/colocakes
Summary: No one had ever resisted the siren call before. What was so special about one scrawny, shell collecting boy?"Let it go." Ventus tells him, but Roxas finds that he cant stop thinking about the strange boy and his lilting song.Or;Roxas tries to lure an unsuspecting Sora to a watery grave for dinner and fails. A mermaid/human love story with a twist.





	1. In Technicolor

Once upon a time, a friend told me “hey did you know jesse mccartney plays roxas?” and it never got better. Then, years later, they joked about siren!roxas and...well this is the culmination of that. I hiiighly recommend looking up the songs! Not only will it increase the experience but who doesn’t like early 2000s pop??

anyway, I’m an old fogey so I’m gonna add relevant warnings in this. I will tag as needed buuut for now this. 

Warnings: future violence/gore, alcohol use.

Songs used:   
“Better With You”  
“Body Language”

eeeenjoyyyy!

0000000000000000000

 

A school of fish broke apart, allowing a pair of flaxen haired boys to pass by. Long, sleek tails knocked the fish about as they raced ahead, eyes on a series of bubble rings. Three rings were lazily creeping away with the current, as they advanced. One boy took the lead, angling his body smoothly through one ring after another. He finished with a twirl, slowing to a stop to watch the trailing boy. 

Grinning, he called out, “Your turn, Rox!”

Not to be outdone, “Rox” sped up. He barreled through the rings, curving himself up and out of the last. A faint brush of foam on his tail startled him and the boy turned to see the rings dissolving behind him. He groaned as the other boy laughed loudly. 

“Shuddup, Ventus.” he spat, turning a sharp glare on the other. 

Ventus did not, in fact, stop. “Oh wow~! Well!” he began, a grin lighting up his face. “Better luck next time, Roxas!”

“Can it!”

Snickering to himself, Ventus turned and took a deep breath. With practiced ease, he blew out, two more rings of bubbles forming in the water. Glancing back, he grinned. “Alright, alright, this is the last round! If you nail this, you can choose what to eat.”

Narrowing his eyes, Roxas hummed in thought. “Anything?”

“Anything but more fish.”

He scoffed, but even he couldn’t deny they'd had more than enough on the trip here. A pit stop, in between the murky waters of hurricane season, it was like a dream compared to the rocky shorelines of the last chain of islands they'd stopped at. 

“Fine.” he said, lining himself up carefully with the rings. “If I win, you have to eat slugs.”

“That’s horrible!” 

Roxas grinned and propelled himself forward. With a bit of effort, he angled himself up and through the first ring. The second was beginning to thin and waver, positioned at an odd angle towards the surface. He pushed forward, realizing belatedly that there was no way he could clear the ring's edges at this angle. 

A thought struck him and he moved a bit quicker, passing through the ring and breaking the surface of the water as he did. A breeze chilled his skin and the blinding light of noon made the descent back into the water more than welcome. 

Coming to a stop slowly, he turned to see the ring shatter into foam. Ventus clapped loudly, a bright smile on his face. “Oh wow! That was amazing!”

He'd seen his brother do far more impressive feats, but Roxas took it with a proud grin. Fanfare was always welcome. Overhead, the water rumbled as a shadow passed. Laughter dying on their lips, both boys turned their attentions to the surface. 

A more populated chain of islands than they'd prefer, without a doubt. Worrying his lip, Roxas wondered if this was still such a good idea.

“I know its ugly, turning on the news.” 

Glancing over, he felt his tossing stomach ease and smiled a bit. “People fightin' over point of view.”

Ventus tugged at his tail lightly, snickering as his younger brother squirmed out of his grasp. “Sometimes its like there’s nothin' left to lose. And I don’t know what to do.” 

They swam towards the coast, fine sand giving way to the more coarse pebbles. A faint smile turned up the corners of Roxas's mouth, as he kept pace with Ventus. “But I know I'm better with you.”

Clear water and colorful fish passed them by. Overhead, the sun was continuing its lazy trek across the sky. With such a beautiful setting and his brother by his side, it was difficult to focus on the looming threat of mankind. 

Hopefully, this time would be better. 

000 

Ventus gagged, dropping the clam shell he was holding. Glancing up, Roxas frowned and watched the older boy dart towards some rocks. 

“Ven, are you alright?”

A loud heave was his response. Wincing, Roxas let the clams he'd gathered tumble back to the sand below. Well, that was one food option scratched off the list. “Y'know,” he began, picking at the coral to his right. “this is all karma, for taking back your half of the bet.”

Ventus sent him a withering look, face still tinged with green. Another bout of dry heaving pulled his attention away. Roxas settled down in the sand, letting out a sigh. 

In spite of the clams, Destiny Islands was proving to be a rather picturesque pit stop. Plenty of fish to eat and clear water to swim in. A shadow passed over them and Roxas paused to contemplate it. 

“Its still my turn to choose lunch.” he commented idly. 

The older boy swiped a bit of seaweed over his tongue, glancing at him wearily. “Yeah? What did you have in mind?”

Watching the shadow of a boat slowly disappear into the distance, Roxas replied, “Lets hit the beach.”

000 

Roxas broke the surface of the water, eyes bobbing just above the surface of the water. A breeze sent a chill through him, as he focused on the nearby shore. He could see what looked like the angled, boxy shapes of something Ventus had called a car just beyond the sandy beach. Nearby, the slender forms of humans.

They grouped together, laughing as they splashed about in the shallows. Squinting Roxas wagered they were probably teenagers. One of them separated from the group, gesturing vaguely and headed off down the beach.

A good target, he mused. 

“Be careful, Roxas.” came a murmur to his right.

He watched the figure wander along, picking something up to examine, before tossing it down. The teen meandered towards the shadowy form of a cavern, where the beach curled like the moon. 

“I will.” he said, and disappeared into an oncoming wave. 

When he resurfaced, he was a couple yards from the beach. Now that he was closer, Roxas could see that the human was a male. He was scrawny beneath his thin tank top, salt stiffened messy brown hair obscuring his eyes as he bent to dig at the sandy beach. The boy mumbled as he dug. 

Faintly, notes of a melody became apparent. A lonely song, Roxas thought. Easy to bewitch. Taking a long breath, he felt for the pull from the deep, ancient depths. It flowed through him, coating his insides like a thick ink and saturated his own melody. 

“I don’t speak Spanish, Japanese or French.”

The boy's hand stilled, an oblong shell slipping from his fingers. Licking his lips, Roxas watched as the brunette slowly stood from his bent position. “But the way that body talkin' definitely makes sense.”

A pair of vacant, deep blue eyes turned towards the ocean. A smile curled the mermaid's lips. “Its your body language.”

Gently, he pulled at the boy's music. It was syrupy and thick, overflowing. A twang of a jammed note sounded off and Roxas winced. “Let me whisper in your ear. Tell you everything you wanna hear...”

The notes groaned, the force of his song pulling some out of place. He attempted to smooth them out, feeling the strain grow. “You got my vote, hottest boy of the year.”

Raising a foot, the boy made to step forward, sandal sticking to the sand. His foot stopped in the air. Just a little bit closer, and the water would draw him in and do the work for him. Something wasn’t working. 

“Lets have a celebra-”

“Sora??”

All at once, the notes jammed and the magic snapped like broken piano chords. The noise was deafening and Roxas cried out, holding his head. Panting, he blinked quickly and looked back at his prey. The boy had stumbled back, dazed and confused. He didn’t seem to realize what had been happening. 

A pair of teenagers, a redhead and a silver haired youth, began to approach from the side of the beach and Roxas sunk back into the water. It soothed his aching head, but did little to comfort him. 

What in the world had happened...? 

“Roxas??” 

Glancing across the shallows, he was relieved to see his brother swimming over. Ventus's face was pulled into a frown as he stopped in front of him. “What happened?? Are you alright?”

He must have heard the cacophony of music. Down here, surrounded by magic, it was especially noticeable. Roxas took a long breath, rubbing his forehead. “I...I don’t know. It was working and then...”

And then it'd snapped. 

Ventus nodded, understanding. “It disconnected. He must have been too conflicted.”

“Conflicted?” Roxas frowned, glancing back to the surface. “About what?”

His brother shrugged, a faint smile on his face. “Who knows? Its fine. We can try again later. He just wasn’t the right one.” at the younger blond's expression, he barreled on. “A good hunter needs to know when to quit!”

“Oh please.”

“Its true!”

Ventus tugged his tail and nodded towards the cove the teenager had almost been lured to. “Lets go see if we can find a place to stay.” 

Roxas didn’t want to find a place to stay. He didn’t want to leave this beach. What he wanted to do, was go back and try to puzzle out the strange human boy's inner workings. His songs had never failed before, especially not on a lonely teenage boy. What was so different this time?

The older boy hummed in concern and Roxas shook his head. There'd be time enough for investigating the humans later, he supposed. “Yeah, yeah...I'm going.”

Ventus smiled wide and began to make his way towards the cove. “Its really quite spacious looking.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Roxas chewed his lip. “Yeah? That’s good. Means I wont have to smell your nasty clam breath.”

“Hey!”

They did settle into the cove, after all. Spacious, secluded and safe. The three S's that his brother stuck to. The mud was soft and easy to burrow into, the shadowy cavern ceiling above a shelter from the weather. Nearby, stood a small grove of coconut trees, some bending over the water with their harvest. There was no reason to leave any time soon, which was good, given the time of year.

As they settled in for the night, thoughts of that boy's melody came back to him. Lilting, notes jarring and grating on his nerves, sticking in his head. It didn’t make sense. His song always worked. 

“Still thinkin' about that kid?” came Ventus's sleep slurred voice. 

Roxas grunted, staring ahead at the stone ceiling. “No ones ever resisted it.”

His brother shrugged. “Its a vapid song. It wont connect to everyone.”

“It wasn’t my song's fault.” he snapped. “His melody was broken.”

Glancing over, the older boy frowned. “It sounded alright to me. Really, Rox, let it go. Sometimes a human gets away. You're young, you'll mess up plenty.”

Roxas bit his lip to stop the snide comment he almost made. Taking a long breath, he held it. Ventus sighed quietly, turning on his side to face him. “Hey, I'm sorry...look, I understand. But sometimes, its better to let go and learn than to dwell on something.”

Words taken from a much more convincing source, Roxas knew. Memories of a soft smile and striking blue hair came to mind and he shook it away quickly. “I know.”

Two arms reached out, bridging the distance and pulled him close. Rolling his eyes, Roxas allowed himself to curl into the embrace. Their song echoed between them, unspoken.

I'm better with you.

He closed his eyes and let his brother's heartbeat slowly ease him into sleep. Roxas would never admit it, but new places always put him off. Even though he'd later complain about being cooped up with the older boy, he much preferred awkward cuddling to staring at the shadowy ceiling or listening to the ocean roll around him.

As sleep took him, his thoughts drifted back to those startled blue eyes. He didn’t fight the memory of the strange boy's melody as sleep took him. 

00000000000000


	2. Young Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so apparently the compromise to keeping my formatting is to have absurdly huge gaps, so I am super sorry guys OTL

Whoop there it is! Chapter 2! i'm kind of amazed I managed to get this far bruh I was in so many directions and I had no idea how to communicate my ideas but I mean they worked out!

 

Thank you so so SO much to everyone whose commented and kudo'd and just plain read this heap. It means a lot, I didnt think it'd get so much support!

 

That said, I want to take time to answer some questions before we dive into this 15 page colossus. If u want to skip, thats cool to!

 

**Is sora's melody broken? Why?**

Nope! It super isnt, it was roxas's attempt to brush off his own inability to successfully lure him. The “broken” noises came from roxas attempting to force it to obey him, and when sora was distracted, it retracted like a rubber band and slapped both parties. You'll understand a bit of what I mean in this and later chapters! But for now, just know roxas is basically a giant toddler.

 

**Whats a melody?**

A melody is taken a bit from twewy and a bit from fatale frame 4, but its basically the tune of your soul. You can hear a person's thoughts and mental state through it, and if you have the ability, you can bend it to your will. Its got a few other things to it, but I wont spoil it.

 

And thats basically all the questions/things I thought I should explain. Thank u for coming to my tedtalk.

 

Inspiration: pretty much all of my shit playlist and my friend's dedication in sending me gobs of art

 

songs used: “whats your name”, “punch drunk recreation” and “superbad”

 

i've also made a playlist for this fic, i'll link it up here and down below, just in case! It'll update along with the fic, so no spoilers show up!

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuRfZKInJHAM5lVE3KGV5ikNrNSeaEjRj

 

without further ado, here is the chapter!

 

00000000000000

 

 

A pillow sailed across the room, landing soundly on a lump of blankets. Groaning, they squirmed away from the offending thing. Sunlight shone down through the window of the messy bedroom, cheerfully merciless for this early in the morning.

 

In the doorway, stood a pale young man with tired amber eyes and messy raven hair. “Get up Sora.”

 

Muffled by the blankets, came a whining, “Nooo....”

 

The man in the doorway rolled his eyes, walking around the dirty laundry and snack wrappers on the floor. “You'll be late. Didn’t you beg for this early shift?”

 

That sparked some degree of alarm in the sleeping brunette. Peering out of the blanket nest, he screwed his face up in misery. “Yeah...but... I have like...ten minutes left-”

 

Bright green numbers showed that it was just turning 6 AM. With a cry, Sora flung his blanket off and scrambled for the bathroom. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner, Van?!”

 

“I did. You kept saying 5 more minutes.” Vanitas said, sipping from a chipped blue mug of coffee.

 

Sora shouted something from the bathroom, but it didn’t reach his older brother's ears. Not that it was all that important to begin with. Vanitas took himself and his coffee back down the winding old staircase to the kitchen.

 

Trying to tame his messy hair and brush his teeth at the same time was a feat in and of itself, Sora decided. Too late for a shower, he'd just have to use more body spray and hope it was enough. Sprinting from the house, the boy wished he'd had the foresight to grab a jacket.

 

Set smack dab in the middle of the small island, the house was a winding two stories of faded blue patchwork siding. Bright orange tiles stood out from slim palm trees, a brightly colored Myrtle tree waving in the early morning breeze beside the garage.

 

The ferry driver laughed as Sora barreled towards the docks, waiting for him. “Late again, eh?”

 

Huffing, Sora sat heavily on a bench. “Yeah...”

 

As the boat pulled away, Sora glanced back towards his home. Small, compared to all the deep blue water around it, he mused. Overhead, a gull cried. The motor droned on behind him, the spray of sea water rinsing the last of the sleep from his eyes.

 

His family had called the collection of islands off the coast of Okinawa, “Destiny Islands”. His mother had once explained to him that their father took one look at the shores of their own island and dubbed it thus. He'd been a man of grand stories and big ideas, something Sora shared with the man.

 

Vanitas had scoffed and told him that it just another small island. Nothing grand or magical about it. But that was his brother's way, to take something beautiful and scuff it up. Yawning, Sora picked at the peeling white paint on the bench and looked ahead at the mainland.

 

For Sora, this place would always hold magic.

 

It was a small miracle that Sora managed to not only catch the ferry, but the bus to. Checking his phone, a thick layer of dread blanketed him. 3 missed calls and 12 texts, demanding why he wasn’t there. Kairi was going to swallow him.

 

The moment that the bus halted and he could safely depart, Sora barreled out of the bus. He flew down the street and only the sight of an old brick building calmed some of the anxiety in his soul. He swung open the glass door and bent over, wheezing.

 

“Sora Maristela, I am so disappointed in you.”

 

“I can explain.” he babbled, looking up to see a disgruntled redhead.

 

Waving the dust wand she was holding, the redhead sighed and shook her head. “Oh, can you? Can you explain why I got stuck doing _your_ opening tasks?” 

 

He winced. “Vanitas didn’t wake me up-”

 

“Aren’t you sixteen??” Kairi asked, crossing her arms and frowning. “You shouldn’t need your big brother to wake you up!”

 

Sora wanted to point out that Xion did pretty much everything for Kairi at home, but felt that a bit too mean. She was right anyway. Huffing, he scratched his head and glanced away. “Yeah...Sorry, Kairi.”

 

Sighing, the girl offered him a small smile. “Well if you know, then you're on window duty.”

 

He stuck his tongue out at her, but was smiling right back at her. “That’s fine. Its nice out still.”

 

Work was work, he supposed, taking his bucket of cleaning supplies outside. Sora was usually a mid, so he didn’t see the old Starbucks in the early morning. It was off the main road, just down the street from the beach and crowded by plants and shady trees. Nostalgic, he thought, humming and scrubbing away at the tall windows.

 

Early or not, it was worth it. In another three hours, he'd be off to the beach with his friends. Sora wondered if he'd find that last shell for Kairi's good luck charm project. He'd been distracted the other day, but by what he couldn’t have told you.

 

The rest of the morning seemed to fly by, once he was back in the room with Kairi. When they worked together, any job was fun, he reasoned. The mom friend that never failed to lighten even the most dour of customer interactions.

 

Noon hit and they both danced anxiously behind the counter, waiting for the next shift crew. Kairi laughed, gesturing to her bouncing friend. “Did you have too much coffee?”

 

“Nope!” Sora said, although he'd be lying if he said that didn’t play a part in this. “I'm just really excited!”

 

“Its just the beach, Sora.” Kairi said, an amuse smile curving her delicate face. “We were there two days ago.”

 

It could have been two hours ago and he'd _still_ be excited. Any time with his friends and the beach was precious time. The moment the next shift came in, the two bolted to clock out and change in the narrow bathroom stalls. Sora yelped as he elbowed the wall, Kairi laughed until she kicked the toilet and both emerged sore and styling in their bathing suits.

 

Kairi was the one with the car, so Sora followed her. The beach may have been close by the store, but they had plans for another one, a bit further away. Hauling bags and toys across town was something they'd only done once and never tried again.

 

The radio blasting, the AC on low, it was smooth sailing. Sora glanced out the window, smiling at the wide blue sea that stretched out as far as he could see. In between buildings, sure, but still lovely. Kairi hummed, brushing her hair behind an ear.

 

“So...” she began, keeping her eyes on the road, like a good new driver. “I heard...you and Riku might go out today.”

 

Sora winced. “Kairi-”

 

“You know, I love match making.” she said, glancing at him. “You should have told me! I could help you!”

 

Help wasn’t what he needed, he grumped. “L-Listen, it isn’t..its not like _that_ , okay?”

 

A knowing hum, but Kairi kept it to herself. Sora was glad for that. Nothing ever felt quite as much like being a _teenager_ as when gossip came up. Especially when he was the gossip in question. Sinking in his seat, he fidgeted with his crown necklace.

 

Kairi glanced over and sighed. “Oh, Sora.” she ruffled his hair, laughing at his whine of dismay. “It'll be alright. And I wont pick on you. I promise.”

 

Looking at his friend warily, Sora wondered if maybe he was being a tad theatrical. It was his way, after all. “Alright. You better not. Or I wont give you the super awesome magical chocolatey covered birthday gift I got you.”

 

“No fair!” she began, laughing as she tried to keep the tone of dismay.

 

Sora couldn’t stop the grin that grew. “Yes fair!”

 

Eventually, the topic drifted to things like work, or the distant return to school that loomed at the end of vacation. The beach came into view, laid out like a painting. It took a lot to not rocket from the car, staying long enough to coat himself with sunscreen and to dig out the beach toys. Well, Kairi called them toys. Sora would never acknowledge that floaties were anything but wonderful beach accessories. For grown ups.

 

A brightly colored umbrella was stuck into the sand further down the beach, a signal to let Sora know where to go. Dodging sandcastles and other groups of beach goers, the boy made his way to it, a wide smile already alighting on his face.

 

Sat beneath the shade of the umbrella, was a silver haired young man. Glancing up, he smiled and waved as Sora and Kairi approached. “Well, well. You sure took your time. Let me guess...” he began, focusing his bright sea green eyes on Sora. “Sora was late again.”

 

“No!” the brunette cried, face turning red.

 

Kairi dropped her duffel bag beside the young man. “He absolutely was.” she griped, good naturedly.

 

Sora fumed, crossing his arms. For his effort, the silver haired boy laughed. “Its not funny, Riku.” he snapped.

 

“Right, right.”

 

It was hard to stay mad at him. Especially with the way his sea green eyes lit up with barely contained mirth. Blowing out the breath he'd been holding, Sora glanced away. “Anyway...” he mumbled, stomach alight with butterflies.

 

“So what do you guys want to do first?” Kairi chimed, clapping.

 

“We could make sandcastles.” Sora offered, tapping his chin.

 

As it happened, this was a disastrous idea. Once Sora and Riku noticed one another's castles differences, they aimed to improve their own and outdo one another. By the time Kairi had finished a turret on her own, they'd each made about three castles that had somehow become morphed into one. Neither would quit until Kairi demanded they pick a different hobby.

 

“Lets go look for the rest of Kairi's shells.” Riku said, leaning back on his hands and away from the precarious looking castles.

 

Kairi waved a hand, “You two go do that. I'm going to soak up some sun.”

 

Sora glanced at the older boy, “Want to see who finds it first?”

 

“No way. You'll cry if I win.”

 

“I wont!”

 

“Ladies, ladies,” Kairi called out, over their bickering. “you're both beautiful. Alright?”

 

The brunette rolled his eyes, standing and brushing the sand from his shorts. “I'm going.”

 

Grabbing a bucket, Riku pulled himself up and they began their search. They combed the shore patiently, bending over to look at a shell now and then. With a pale gold base and a skinny magenta middle and end, it was difficult to miss a Thalassa shell. Yet, for such a colorful thing, the shell was hard to find.

 

Kairi had been steadily working on a collection of good luck charms since the start of the year. They'd form a cheery star, supposedly granting a safe passage through the sea and a good year to come. Sora had asked her once if she wouldn’t have better luck just buying them online, but she'd insisted that took the magic out of the charms.

 

It was fun to spend time scouring the beach with his friends. He'd miss doing this, when they finished the last charm. Bending over, he scooped up a shell and turned it over a bit. Not the one.

 

“There’s a party, later tonight.” Riku said, brushing off the shell he held.

 

Sora perked up, glancing at the older boy curiously. “Sweet, I'm game!”

 

Riku laughed a bit, continuing his trek along the beach. “I figured you would be. You didn’t let it go when I didn’t tell you the last time.”

 

Puffing up his cheeks, Sora mumbled and dug for another shell. “Yeah, well, its mean to not invite friends...”

 

He didn’t notice the long sideways look Riku shot him. “Well, either way, the invite is out.”

 

“Thanks.” Sora said, a bright smile on his face.

 

Something glinted in the damp sand, as a wave tumbled over the beach. As he approached it, he thought he could see a flash of magenta. His barefoot touched the water and he felt a chill race over him. _I turn around, you're there again and then suddenly you're gone._

 

He shook his head. Weird. Must be a song he'd heard. The flicker of pink drifted further into the surf and Sora stepped into it, reaching out for the shell. _I wanna get to know you, but I don’t know who you are!_ Sora found himself humming along, as his fingers paused in their search. The shell floated just out of his reach and without thinking, Sora followed it.

 

The melody was hypnotic, he thought. He found himself hanging onto the edge of each word, trying to remember where he'd heard the song before. _I want to get together, but you're oh so hard to find! I need an opportunity, there’s something I want to ask, I never seem to get the chance!_

 

_Whats your name, whats your name? Oh, I really wanna know!_

 

Sora, he answered, without thinking. He wasn’t looking at the shell anymore. Something was shimmering just below the water, close enough that for a moment, Sora wasn’t sure if maybe he was misjudging distances.

 

_You got me goin' crazy, and I want you more and more._

 

Suddenly, the song didn’t seem the same. Not as sweet and lovestruck as it had been. Sunlight caught on the edge of something, scales, he thought.

 

“Sora?”

 

It felt like nails in his skin, dragging down his insides and his head hurt so much. A hand came down on his shoulder and Sora started. Turning, he saw Riku's clear eyes, brows furrowed in worry. His breath was coming in short bursts.

 

“I-I...” he couldn’t put together a sentence. His head was full of sand.

 

Riku's frown deepened. “Lets get you out of here.” he said gently.

 

Sora realized belatedly that he was up to his knees in the water. The flicker in the ocean was gone, but it still felt like he might see something wrong if he looked too closely. Swallowing hard, he allowed his friend to all but drag him from the water.

 

As they made their way back to Kairi, the girl was just waking up. She yawned, stretching like a cat, and blinked over the rims of her sunglasses. “Hey!” then, after a double take, “Are you two okay...?”

 

“I think he might have been stung by something.” Riku said, coming to a stop nearby.

 

Sora sunk onto the towel gladly, feeling drained. “I'm fine, really.” he said, although the effort to say that was worrying. “Its probably just dehydration or something.”

 

Kairi was looking at him now to, with those big worried eyes. “Are you sure? We can go to get you checked.”

 

He shook his head. “Really. Honestly, its fine.” he said, forcing a laugh.

 

Neither were particularly alright with that answer, but they agreed that it was time to leave for the day. They loaded into Kairi's car, all sleepy and on edge. Sora glanced out the window and saw that strange flicker and felt his stomach knot. If he rolled down the window, he might even have heard that song again.

 

 _Oh no, don’t go away now!_ Roxas fumed, grabbing for something to throw. He grabbed a shell and tossed it, watching it spiral lazily through the water, hitting the sand with a dull thud. _Too late, I missed your name boy_ , he thought miserably.

 

He'd almost had him this time. The strange brunette had been close enough to touch. His melody hadn’t reacted the same this time. It drew back the moment his own touched it.

 

“You were too forceful.” Ventus said, lounging against a rock.

 

Glancing back at his brother, Roxas muttered, “I barely touched him.”

 

The other boy sighed, shoulders heaving with the effort. “Humans don’t appreciate desperation or force in courtship.” he explained, sitting up properly. “The moment you started being demanding, there was no way this kid was going to listen.”

 

Roxas made a frustrated noise, searching for something else to throw. He couldn’t stand this! There had never been a hunt that he'd failed so spectacularly before! How was it that this kid evaded him not once, but twice now???

 

“Roxas, you should let this one go.” Ventus tried, watching his brother with a worried frown. “Just use it as a learning experience.”

 

He took a long breath and held it, counting to ten. His brother was right. He should just let it go. But Roxas wasn’t someone who could stand to leave something unfinished. Still, Ventus was right about one thing, and that was that he was approaching this all wrong.

 

Letting out the breath, the blond glanced at Ventus miserably. “One more chance.” when Ventus began to protest, he said, “I just want to try one more time. Maybe this time I'll get it. If I don’t, I'll give up.”

 

The blond boy sighed, scratching at his head. “If you say, Rox. But I think its a bad idea.”

 

He didn’t have to explain why. Roxas knew. He was risking their new home for what was essentially pride. But he couldn’t let this sort of thing go. “One more chance.”

 

Ventus rolled his eyes and held up his hands. “Alright. Alright. One more. But!” he held up a finger, cutting off Roxas as he began to cheer. “That’s it. You got it? We cant risk this new place. Alright?”

 

Roxas nodded, mouth a thin line. “I got it.”

 

“Good.” Ventus said, sighing again. “Now lets go get something to eat.”

 

000

 

“Sora, you're losing your mind.”

 

“No!” the brunette fumed, leaning over the counter. “I'm not! I really heard something singing to me!”

 

Vanitas leveled him with a dull expression, continuing to bread some fish. Sora puffed out his cheeks, eyes narrowing. “I'm NOT crazy.”

 

“Ooh, that’s debatable.” his brother said, “Drink your tea.” he gestured.

 

Sora huffed, sitting back down on his stool and took his glass. He should have known his brother wouldn’t believe him. Riku and Kairi hadn’t either. Maybe it really was just dehydration. Watching his brother cook, the tension began to ease.

 

It felt strange to say, but he always enjoyed when Vanitas cooked. His cooking was...odd, and not in a particularly good way, but Sora had eaten it for so long that it was normal to him. Comforting, even.

 

“Are you gonna make the rice, or do I have to do everything?” Vanitas snapped.

 

Sora rolled his eyes and hopped off the stool. “Yeah, yeah.”

 

Dinner was a simple affair. Neither had the energy or time for big meals, unless it was a special occasion. Still, as he sat down to appreciate his meal, Sora couldn’t fathom a world where he didn’t eat this.

 

Vanitas worked on the fishing boats and often brought home fish. Why spend money on pork or beef, when they had perfectly good fish right here? That said, the raven haired young man often just transferred recipes over from other meats. Tonight, instead of katsudon with pork, it was fish.

 

Kairi had had it once and promptly decided that Vanitas was disgusting. Sora just ate it anyway. To him, it was delicious.

 

Glancing at the counter where they kept their mail, Sora asked, “Any news on uni?”

 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, idiot.”

 

“You're doing it to!”

 

Vanitas rolled his eyes, made a point to swallow and focused on the boy. “No, I haven’t gotten any news yet. It takes a while for mail to get here.”

 

Not that long, Sora thought, but he didn’t point it out. “I guess so.”

 

“You should be thinking about college to.” his brother said, stuffing his face.

 

Sora pushed a piece of fish into his mouth to keep back his comment. He knew how his brother felt about Okinawa. That conversation didn’t need to happen again. “I know.”

 

Vanitas leaned back in his chair, sighing. “You're going out tonight, yeah?”

 

The brunette nodded, cheeks full. “Mhm!”

 

“Call me if you need a ride home.” his brother pointed his chopsticks at him, a frown on his face. “I mean it, Sora. Don’t make any stupid choices.”

 

Swallowing his food, Sora nodded. “I know. I wont. I'll call you.”

 

“Good.”

 

Even in spite of the lectures, Sora couldn’t help the smile tugging at his face. He didn’t know what other brothers were like, but he wouldn’t have traded his own for anything. Finishing up his dinner, Sora cleared away his spot at the counter and stretched.

 

“I'm gonna go get ready, okay?”

 

“Yeah, yeah.”

 

Not my turn to do dishes, Sora cheered, heading up the stairs before his brother could find another reason to drag him to do more chores. Crooked family photos hung at odd intervals along the staircase and as he hit the landing of the second floor, he could see an old end table next to the banister. A fading branch of Myrtle flowers sat in the green vase, reminding Sora that he needed to change it out.

 

A homemade name plate hung from his own door, made from shells he and his mother had found along their beach. Home, Sora thought, pushing the door open and heading inside.

 

With a soft click of the door behind him, Sora was alone in his room. He dug out his phone and pulled up Kairi's number, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for her to answer. Finally, a crack of static echoed back from the speaker.

 

“Its only been half an hour, Sora.” came a tired groan.

 

“I need help.” he said, tone grave.

 

Sora could just see her, laying on her Disney princess themed bed and rolling her eyes. “What is it?”

 

He ran a hand through his messy hair, sighing heavily. “I...I want to tell him how I feel. Tonight.” he swiped his tongue over his chapped lips anxiously. “Could...you help me?”

 

A pause. Then, a breathless, “Oh my god, you're an idiot, of _course_ I'll help you!”

 

Smiling to himself, Sora picked his way across the messy floor. “Thank you, Kairi.”

 

“Its nothing.”

 

It was something, though. Sora had felt this way for over a month now. Or rather, he'd only acknowledged and accepted it for a month now. It had started years ago, when Kairi had first moved to the island.

 

Riku had always been his best friend. But the way he'd looked at Kairi that day had been something... different. It was difficult to ignore the way it ate him up. But he had. Until last month.

 

“How did you ask Namine out?” he broached, settling heavily on his bed.

 

“I told you before.” Kairi said, yawning wide. “But they aren’t the same thing. Riku isn’t going to fall for poetry and a date in the park.”

 

If Riku fell for anything, Sora would be surprised. “Y-Yeah, but...”

 

He could hear the creak of the bed springs over the phone. “Its something you have to do yourself. But,” he could almost hear her smiling. “if you're worried, you could try to play it cool and make it casual.”

 

Casual? Confessing undying love? Sora made a face. “Kairi, that sounds-”

 

“Its a good way to keep things lighthearted, just in case.”

 

Just in case. Dread pooled in his stomach. “Y-You're not supposed to bring up the worst case scenario...”

 

“Its something you need to keep in mind.” she said, voice gentle. “Its important.”

 

He didn’t want to consider that possibility. Sora didn’t even want to consider that this could go anything _but_ good. It made his stomach turn. He swallowed the anxiety down and tried to focus. She was right. He knew she was. He had to make sure he didn’t destroy what he had already.

 

“Fine...”

 

“Good. Now lets see...a funny pickup line could work!” she sounded positively gleeful. “In case it goes south, you could make it sound like you were testing it out to use on someone else.”

 

That was...actually a really good idea. “You're really smart.”

 

“Its a curse. So, lets think up some good ones...”

 

000

 

Milky white moonlight lit up the ocean floor in wavering beams. Passing through one, Roxas felt as if he were gliding through a dream. He moved slowly, ever observant in the foreign water. In the low light, it felt so peaceful here.

 

That was a dangerous thought to have, he mused.

 

Still, it was a miracle to find such a place. Ventus was sleeping peacefully in their cove, unaware of his missing brother. Roxas felt the vibration of a melody above, scanning the surface for shadows.

 

When he was sure that it was safe, he angled himself up and breached the surface with a quiet splash. At first, all he could see was the smear of unfocused starlight. The filter from his night vision began to adjust, until he could see the world above once again.

 

It was beautiful on the surface, he thought.

 

A rich, heady aroma was on the winds. It stuck to the back of his throat, pleasant even in its thickness. Smoke, he thought. Cooked meat. Things he'd always wanted to try, but never could before. His stomach twisted. The last time he'd smelled this, he'd still been in the coastal warm waters of the Mediterranean.

 

Drifting across the waves, came a grating, inorganic melody. Roxas grimaced, disliking the sound immediately. There was a genuine melody interwoven, beneath the rest. If he listened, he could also hear the familiar lilting tune of that irritating brunette.

 

That’s what had guided him here, he supposed. It was a relief to hear it. Across the water, he could see what he knew to be a house looming from the darkness. Lit up like the ocean in the summer, it was situated over the beach. An even incline brought it smoothly to the water.

 

Roxas sighed quietly, letting the boy's – Sora, he corrected – melody wash over him. Eyes slipping shut, he reveled in it.

 

_Faded, stumblin' through these ladies, none of them even phase me, hey._

 

Sora opened his eyes, staring blankly at the portrait of some...sort of... whale? A manatee? He tilted his head to the side, the dull roar of the party going on around him as he contemplated the painting.

 

He'd never been to Tidus's house before. He'd never drank before either. Sora took another sip of his Jack and coke and tried to puzzle out what he was seeing. Definitely not a whale. It had so many eyes.

 

“Sora, what are you doing??”

 

Turning, he blinked and smiled. “Hey, Kairi. Did you see these weird paintings?”

 

The girl glanced at the painting, nose wrinkling in distaste. “Yeah. Real Lovecraft sort of stuff. Not a fan.”

 

Sora snickered, “Same.”

 

Kairi hummed, tapping her wine cooler lightly. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a mission?”

 

_Drinkin', sippin' that liquid courage, tryin' to get Mrs. Pefect, hey!_

 

Pausing mid sip, the brunette stared at her dumbly. Glancing away, he mumbled into his cup, “I just need some...liquid courage.”

 

The girl gave him a look. “Are you really quoting songs now?”

 

Sora didn’t grace that with an answer, taking a long swig of his drink. Kairi watched him, sighing and shaking her head. “You're being silly. It'll be fine. Just use the line.”

 

“He'll think I'm stupid...”

 

“Oh honey,” Kairi leveled him with a pitying smile, “we already do.”

 

Squawking in indignation, the brunette cried, “T-This isn’t funny, Kairi! Its serious! Serious business!”

 

She rolled her eyes, but did offer a real smile. “I know, I know. Listen, just relax. Use the line. The line is good. You'll do fine.”

 

Sora wanted to point out how absurd it all felt suddenly. Drinking in his friend's house party, thinking about how to ask his best friend out, all of it. That stupid painting with its dozens of eyes was staring at him. He gulped and nodded.

 

“Y-Yeah. I will. I'm gonna do it.”

 

_You don’t have to say a damn word, your body says it all!_

 

He didn’t know where Riku was. A minor hiccup. Meandering through the rooms, Sora rehearsed the pickup line in his head. I don’t know which is prettier today, the sky, the sea or your eyes. Yes. Clever. Classy. Easy to say. He could do this.

 

Sora was still repeating that same line, face red and palms sweaty, as he finally spotted Riku on the private beach outside. He was talking to Wakka, a tall young man on the football team in school. Riku seemed to be politely humoring the clearly wasted redhead, whose accent was thicker than usual.

 

“All I'm sayin',” he slurred, “is that we should take our Blitzballs, roll into those Albhed neighborhoods, and clean em' out.”

 

Sora swallowed hard, rehearsing the line again. He took a deep breath and trotted over to Riku, cheerfully calling his name. For his part, the silver haired boy seemed beyond relieved to see him.

 

“Oh! Sora! I didn’t think you'd make it.”

 

Wakka grumbled as his mostly unwilling conversational partner was distracted, but seemed happy enough to see Sora. “Whats happenin' man?”

 

“Not a lot, just enjoying the party.” Sora made an awkward attempt at a gang gesture. When he failed, he gave up. “Tidus is looking for you, Wakka.”

 

That seemed to get the redhead's attention. “Oh, really? Wonder what he wants.”

 

“He's in the house, by the living room.”

 

Wakka grunted, wandering in that direction. “Thanks. See you later, Riku.”

 

Riku watched him go, then turned to Sora with an exhausted expression. “You're a life saver.”

 

“He seemed pretty riled up.” the brunette said, snickering and leaning on one foot.

 

The silver haired boy sighed, shrugging. “You know how he gets about race shit.”

 

Sora didn’t, but if it meant Riku kept looking at him with those big green eyes, then he supposed he could. “Y-Yeah, totally.”

 

Riku took a sip of his drink, leaning against the smooth stone railing behind him. “So, having fun yet?” he joked.

 

_Girl I've wanted you, from the jump..._

 

Oh, was he super not. Forcing an awkward laugh, Sora said, “Yeah. Tidus's dad's paintings freak me out though.”

 

“They are freaky looking.”

 

A lull settled between them, not entirely comfortable. Maybe it was the previous topic of Wakka, or maybe it was just obvious that Sora had come here on a mission. Tapping his fingers against the red plastic cup he held, the brunette cleared his throat.

 

“So, uh...” he began, the words jumbling in his head. “I uh...d-don’t know whats prettier tonight, the skea...sky,” he ducked his head, face beet red, “the sea or y-your...eyes.”

 

There was a beat of silence, before Riku spoke. “Are you...alright?”

 

His tone seemed amused, but Sora could hear the uncertainty in it. “O-Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“Well...” the older boy began, raising a brow. “You just used...the _dumbest_ line I've heard in a while.”

 

Glancing up, Sora faltered. An awkward smile had settled on his friend's face. Biting his lip, he forced a laugh. “I was just testing it, man. Don’t make it weird.”

 

“Uhuh.”

 

“I'm serious.”

 

“Well, consider it a stupid line.” Riku said, laughing. “Did Kairi pick that one out? Sounds like its from one of her magazines.”

 

She had, actually. They'd picked it out from a website for pre-teens. His stomach was rolling and the sand felt unsteady beneath his feet, suddenly. “S-She did.”

 

“Figures.”

 

It felt like the world had stopped spinning. If the ground would just open up and swallow him, he'd be infinitely happier. Riku glanced out at the water, humming into his cup. He seemed like he wanted to say something, when a call from behind them drew his attention.

 

“Hey!”

 

Glancing over his shoulder, Sora was almost relieved to see Tidus jogging down the grassy slope towards them. “Hey, back. Whats up?”

 

The sunny blond grinned, then glanced around him to see Riku and grimace. “Sorry about Wakka...”

 

Riku waved a hand, brushing the apology away. “Its fine. He's trashed.”

 

“Yeah, but still...”

 

Looking between the two, who had begun to talk about the redhead's ravings, Sora took the chance to duck out of the conversation. He aimed a small wave towards Riku, who waved back with a smile. His insides twisted.

 

Turning, Sora trotted back up the slope Tidus had just come down.

 

_Cuz' I just wanna be where you are...Just a lil' punch drunk recreation_

 

The brunette and his lilting song vanished into the night. Like a candle snuffed out, the world felt just a bit darker. Roxas felt his stomach twist, insides churning with roiling bitterness.

 

It all made sense, now.

 

Funny, how now that the answer to his question had been answered, he only felt emptier. Funny that, in the wake of what he'd just witnessed, he had even less closure.

 

What was it like, to feel this hateful way, day in and day out?

 

Was this even how Sora felt?

 

Roxas didn’t know if this was only his own experience, or if he had connected at all with the brunette. But he knew he didn’t want to feel this way. Not for even a second more.

 

A groan from the shore caught his attention. Standing in the shallows, a boy about Sora's age was leaning on his knees, clearly sick. Soft blond hair blew in the breeze, the scent of alcohol drifting over the waves.

 

His stomach twisted.

 

I must be hungry, he thought. If he just ate something, something besides a fish or a clam, he'd be rid of these feelings. It was just hunger pains and the frustration of a hunt gone wrong. The way Sora had looked at the boy, it didn’t mean anything. Licking his lips, Roxas felt for the edges of the boy's melody.

 

A frayed sound, the edges unraveling from more than booze. Pulling from the deep, dark abyss below, Roxas inhaled and allowed the inky magic to soak into him. Opening his eyes, he focused on the blond.

 

_She's a miracle, she got everybody talkin'._

 

The blond looked up, gaze distant. His mouth hung open, as if the breath was taken from him. A smile curved Roxas's lips. It was addicting, the way that he could tug at a human's heart strings so easily.

 

_She don’t care at all, watch the way she's walkin', she's a classy girl._

 

Step by step, the boy was sloshing through the dark waves. Jerky movements, the kind that someone might make when just waking up, carrying him further into the surf.

 

_Got danger in her touch, she should come with a warnin'._

 

Only a few feet from him, Roxas almost felt bad. The blond was young, exhausted looking. A long scar went down his exposed chest, still fresh. Not the untouched expanse of tanned skin he'd prefer to be seeing.

 

_When she struts her stuff, every head is turnin'!_

 

Roxas tried to imagine bright blue eyes, instead of the vacant gaze that met his own. Reaching up and looping his arms around the boy's neck, Roxas could tell himself this the soft tanned skin he'd seen from the beach.

 

But it wasn’t

 

 _My boy is superbad, super stacked, got no time for photographs_.

 

Leaning back, he pulled the blond into the water.

 

00000000000000

 

(slam dunks self into the garbage) I was going to make the final scene a lot more grotesque and gorey but uh i'll save that for later. I feel like the less you see, the more you'll imagine and be squicked without another page of gore.

 

I'm also on twitter at colocakes1, so hit me up if u want. I also have a playlist specifically for this fic, so i'll link that to. Hopefully if you havent heard the songs before, this'll help with the fic experience!

 

I'll update the playlist as the fic goes, so no spoilers happen!

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuRfZKInJHAM5lVE3KGV5ikNrNSeaEjRj


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